Decorative furniture panel construction



2 Sheets-Sheet l BY ml aw wwawz May 23, 1950 A. E. FRIDOLPH DECORATIVE FURNITURE PANEL CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 9, 1946 May 23, 1950 A. E. FRIDOLPH DECORATIVE FURNITURE PANEL CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 9, 1946 INVENTOR.

fiA ME-WEZ'TQAQQLPH Patented May 23, 1950 UNITED DECORATIVE FURNITURE PANEL CONSTRUCTION Annette E. Fridolph, New York, N. Y.

Application December 9, 1946, Serial No. 715,084

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a decorative furniture panel construction and more particularly to panels such as are used to upholster furniture such as bed head-boards, chair backs, seat pads, folding screens, etc. Where panels or pads have been applied to articles of furniture heretofore, it is customary to secure them permanently by tacking to the wood frame of the article. This makes it extremely difficult tolaunder or dry clean the decorative fabric material since it must be cleaned in situ by a sponging process or removed and replaced by an expert upholsterer. Consequently, most upholstered furniture is covered in materials of the class which are not easily soiled and which will withstand wear and frequent sponging to the best advantage. This has heretofore excluded from such uses the more delicate fabrics which soil more easily and which will not withstand frequent cleanings but which, in certain types of interior decorating, would be more attractive than the more durable fabrics.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved furniture panel construction wherein a decorative fabric panel is fastened to a supporting frame of an article of furniture so as to enable ready attachment and removal of the fabric panel, and so that the fastening means themselves are concealed, and so that the appearance of the fabric panel in place is at least equivalent to that obtained with conventional constructions.

In my Patent No. 2,412,608 granted December 17, 1946, I have disclosed a construction for hanging draperies, curtains and similar articles which involves the use of a. diminutive recess formed integrally in and along a decorative trim, casement or other member and having a narrow longitudinal slot opening to a face of the member, together with slider elements attached to the hangings which have individual fabric bands or tapes extending from its margin and rigid slender heads carried at free ends of these bands to slide freely in the recess with the bands passing loosely through its facial slot. The present invention makes use of elements like those disclosed in that application, as fasteners, along with a detachable frame strip to retain some of the elements and in association with a fabric or upholstery panel and a furniture frame to receive the same, all so as to achieve the object above set forth.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and illustrate preferred embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an upholstered 2 head-board illustrating one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the head-board assembly illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a folding screen illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the head and part of the band of one of the fastener elements employed.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of a detachable molding or frame strip employed.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the headboard of Figure 1, showing a suitable sequence of attachment of some of the fastener elements.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a head-board for a bed having a decorative wooden frame I0 projecting above the leg portions I2. The frame In forms the ornamental periphery of a, space or panel covered by a decorative upholstery panel l4 which is attached removable to the frame itself at the top and sides thereof. At the bottom a transverse frame member I6 is provided with a longitudinal recess I8 of rectangular cross section, in which is removably retained by friction an elongated molding or frame strip 20. The strip 20 is provided with a narrow longitudinal slot 22 in its face behind which is a wider longitudinal recess 24 within the strip and opening from it through the slot, as more particularly described in my copending application above referred to. Formed in the frame ID on the inner face thereof along its sides and top is a similar recess slot 26 as seen more clearly in Figure 2. At suitably spaced points along the slot 26 there are provided apertures 28 which are of a size to permit access of fastener heads 34 to the enlarged recess behind the slot-recess 26. The slot 26 may be a continuous one extending around the inside of the frame or it may comprise a series of short recess-slots adjacent the respective apertures 28.

The head-board may have the usual solid panel of wood behind the decorative panel [4 and this may be padded by the application in a conventional way of suitable padding material as indicated at 30. The decorative panel M has secured to it at spaced intervals fastener members comprising flexible bands or tapes 32 having on their free ends slender rigid heads 34 much wider than the thickness of the bands, as seen more clearly in Figure 4. The heads 34 are preferably formed by wrapping a small metal channel member with the tape and clamping the opposed edges of the channel together, thus providing a, unitary attaching member of which the head may be inserted 3 through an aperture 28 into and then retained in the recess behind the slot 26 while the flexible band or tape extends loosely through the slot to the fabric panel at the face of the frame. These attaching members are secured to the panel I l at points corresponding to the location of the apertures 28 in the frame In. Another series of fastening, niembers 'are' secured to the panel 14 along the'bo'ttom edge at intervals and may be inserted into recess 24 and slot 22 of strip 20 either through the end of the recess-slot or through an aperture or enlargement of the slot 22.

"stifliciently small to pass through the usual The panel l4 may be attache'd 'to theheada board in the following manner: Referring nowto Figure 6, the fastener element cor respohdingtd aperture a is inserted therein and the adjacent fasteners are inserted in order at b',"c',' it etc., after which the panel is slid slightly'to-theright and the fastener inserted at e. The panel isj-th'en secured. down the; side in; the order, f, h, 2', 5i and k thus-completing the securing" thereof the topand sides of the frame I0. The, molding strip is then. removed from itsrecess; l8: and slidaendwise over the fasteners along thebottom of the. panelg l l The molding strip 2015 then pulled downwardly-totension the panel: and inserted, in the" recess: L8: to. complete theroperationh Aswill beseen from the drawings, the fasteners are entirely hidden fr'omview after this:operation is completed, andthefabric panel which may have. a. .degorativestrip 36 along its outer edgepresentsan appearance no different frompone" attached by: conventional 'means; yet thefabric .panel. is readily, removable from the head-board for cleaning, launderingor repair and it; can: be easily restored in place without having to detach fasteners bodily or to perform a constructionali operation-.7

Panelsv which are provided with; a decorative fabric surface on both'sides maybe mounted with facility and ease by thepresent invention, and the folding; screen: shown in-Figure- 3 is typical ofxsuch: constructions. "In this case, the screen comprises three: similar rectangular frames 46 .hingedtogether inzthe: usual fashion andborderingcspaces-provided with decorative fabric panels 42;? Frames) haveamoldingistrip as at their bottom Whichmay be: permanently secured theretoand *is provided; with: a. Fr-shaped: recess -slot irritsupper face; ofthe nature indicated at 22,

,2-4 in Fig-5, for-thereception; of; fastener mena-v -bers of the: character aboyedescribed. A remova'ble moldingstripr lfi isprovided. at thetop of each panel and contains asimilar recess-slot opening in its lower face; The. moldingstrip at i may beprovided with a mortise and tenon at its left-hand end as indicatedat 48, and'the frame 4-!I-;may be notchedati 50 to receive the projecting right-hand end of the molding 46 V V V -I-n-the screen-rillusl'lrated the fabric panel 42 isprovided with: fastenermembers of the-character above described: at intervalsalong its'top and bottom: edges. Thpse along its lower edge laundering-operations including wringing without I v 'ddf rlagd'for' which purpose they are preferably made with a rust-proof metal insert. The use eithe -removable molding strip along one'edge of the panel makesit possible to apply any desired tension to the panel thus giving the taut, neat appearance of hand tacked upholstery.

vare first insertedin the permanently attached molding strip 44; and then the moldingstrip L16, having been removed from the frame, is slid over the fastenings atj the top of'thepanel 42. V

The panel is then stretched taut and the strip 'file of fthis-xpatenti I claim: v

1-- LA decorative furn u e: anelinst uctio comprising a; framehaving. marginal portions. bordering a panel. area, one. of, said-portions in;- cluding a framestriprhaving. a. narl'ow slot along anface:thereofopening; into a wider recess there-1 within-,qineans-in saidi framerfor'engaging atleast a portion ofthe: strip; to: retain. it ag-ainst. move: mentin the plane ofathe;framasaidstrip being; disengageabl'e from said means. to. permit. said: strip-to :b'ee removed frohiusaidc frame; "theL'ot-her portions of: said frame having, asimilar' slotv and recessformed therein-,;a:fabric panelato cover. said area, flexible bands connected to: 'sa'idpanel. at. intervals around its periphery; each band being secured at one end to thepanel v andhavingran enlarged rigid headr'at a f reeiendl. the heads of the bandson-a plurality' of margihabeingretained removabl-y in: portions. 011 the; last-mentioned re:- cess with' their hands. extended through: slot. por t'ions thereof and the heads-- of the bandsion one margin being similarlyengag'eable in: the recess of said stripsothat-the fabricipa nelmaybe tensi'o'ned over said. area;- by attachment: of said strip to saidif-rame; V

.2. A coinstruction as described: in claim. l,. said lastmenti'oned recessland: its. slot extending sub stantially continuously in ortions ofs'aid frame borderingthe sides andone end: of said; area. and said. strip bordering themtherend: of! said: area;

the continuously extending slot having. at spaced ersatm e flgn The-renewin references: are of record: in the 

